Invisible
by CharlieSMarts12
Summary: A runaway girl bumps headfirst into the Doctor and is whisked off her feet into a world of adventures. But does running solve all her problems? Only time will tell.


She rolled over and fell off the bed. Ouch.

"Zara!"

Frowning, she pried one of her eyes open as she caught herself staring at her greasy mirror. It was too early for this, she needed a few more minutes of sleep. Actually, make that a few more hours...

"Zara! Get down here!"

Letting out a huff of frustration, she finally decided to wake herself up as she realised she'd never even bothered to fling on her pyjamas after her late night. Her head was pounding but it had been totally worth it. A night to remember!

If she could actually remember it...

"Zara! I swear..."

"Coming!"

Scrambling off the floor, she grabbed her towel from the bed stand and wetted it with water before washing her face. It was a miracle that she hadn't been caught sneaking back in the night before, but she was bound to get into a heap of trouble now. She pushed her head through a jumper as she hurried down the stairs and into the kebab shop, where her uncle was glaring daggers at her.

"What?"

He motioned with his frying pan to the man standing on the other side of the counter who didn't look too pleased with her. At all. Zara could always read Atif's expressions like a book and this time, it looked like she'd finally run out of options.

He turned back wordlessly as she reluctantly followed him out of the shop and into the street. The air was ripe with the winter chill and she shuddered inadvertently as she tucked her hands inside the jumper.

A couple of pedestrians glanced at them as they walked past but Zara knew that even if they suspected that something was up, they would never speak a word. Not where Atif was concerned.

* * *

"Five weeks."

She started as she realised that they were now conversing in an alleyway. When did they end up here? Man, she was seriously hungover...

"That's enough time, innit? I was kind enough to give you that and what do you do? Spend it all on clothes and jewellery?"

She pressed her lips together and crossed her arms, he definitely needed to chill out. Besides, wasn't it sexist to assume that all women just spent their cash on trivial thing like clothes? Though, it was better he assumed that than know the truth.

The real truth.

"So I'm giving you one last chance, where is it?"

"You just said that I spent it all on clothes!"

He grabbed her by the shoulders in his frustration. Zara could almost see the breakout on his forehead, the stress was _seriously _getting to him. And to her too if she wasn't careful.

"C'mon, I don't want nothin' bad to happen to you. You're my cous…"

"Not by blood. I don't want to play the orphan card but... technically speaking..."

She was winding him up, but in all honesty she didn't see the threat. Atif cared about her like a sister, even if she knew that she could never truly see him that way. Not since she'd found out about what he was truly doing behind-the-scenes. Either way, she had a security blanket. She was untouchable.

"Shut up! Zara, if you don't cough up soon..!"

"So you're Zara then?"

The ache in her head disappeared. Suddenly, everything was silent... too silent. If it wasn't for the shuffling of boots of the stoned pathway, she would have felt calm. Amused even.

But perhaps she'd played this game for too long.

She whirled around as she slowly gazed up at the taller men before her, heavy-footed and self-assured. If words didn't win this time around, she would be the bait in their mousetrap. Easy kill.

"We don't want any trouble. We just want what we loaned you. My man Atif, he's a good man. Clever. And so very kind to have lent you the cash..."

"I stole it."

His eyes flashed, a cold icy blue that prickled like the chill of the breeze through the holes in her jumper. Perhaps honesty wasn't always the best policy. Oh, she could talk for days, distracting... picking herself out of sticky situations but these men didn't favour charm or intellect. Their desires were simple. And the consequences were clear.

"You've got a nerve to admit that."

"Everyone makes mistakes. Just like those crepes you're wearing..."

The words just tumbled out before she could stop herself. Oh, she was a stupid girl indeed but at least it had lifted the tension. Atif shook his head vigorously, as she ignored him. He was such a coward.

Sure, she was scared herself. But there was no point in showing it. She had to have her airs around her to protect her.

"Give me the money."

"Okay, okay! I'll go get it..."

She spun around on her heel as Atif breathed a sigh of relief as she headed back towards the shop. What he didn't know, however, was that with each step she took... a plan was concocting around in her head. Adrenaline was amazing at times like this. She could anticipate the traffic lights turning red, the number of pedestrians she'd bump into and locate the best position to...

Bingo.

"Oi! Someone get her!"

Her legs pumped faster and faster beneath her as she skidded across the pavement, almost teetering to a fall. Her breath was coming out in puffs of steam as she envisioned herself as a steam engine, chugging faster and faster through the nooks and crannies of the valleys.

London was nowhere near the same but she knew the place like the back of her hand.

Darting in between pedestrians and cars, she stormed forward and tried not to look behind her. It would cost her too much time. Thankfully, the boys who were chasing her were as noisy as a stampede of rhinos; she would hear them coming a mile off. She slid into a side-road and tried to open the latch of garage #3.

It rattled but remained closed. Shit. There was a lock. Shit. It was a dead-end.

Wow, she really was going to spend her last days in a manky alley with only spiders and woodlouse to keep her company. Seconds ticked like bombs in her head as she spun around before noticing a rather noticeable blue box.

On first glimpse, she'd reckoned it to be a garbage bin which was too easy a spot to hide in but now she had no choice. She needed to hide and pray that she wouldn't be found. She ran up towards it and stormed in through the door before slamming it shut. She held her breath as she noticed there was a little window she could peer out of.

_Please, please, please..._

Something warm brushed up against her leg and she almost yelped as a figure stood up beside her and yelped instead. Her eyes widened significantly as she hushed the stranger insistently. This was her life on the line here!

"Who are you? Wait, priorities... how did you get here?"

The man eyed her like she were a specimen to be examined but Zara didn't have time to get annoyed. She motioned to the door before holding her finger to her lips.

"But the door was closed."

Was he dumb?

"I opened it."

The stranger gasped in wonder and pure amazement. Zara glanced at him sideways, why did she always end up with complete weirdos?

"How..?"

"I'll tell you later. Just... shut up."

"But..!"

"Shush!"

She refocussed on the window (it really needed to be cleaned), but she could make out the alley that she'd run into. A few seconds after, she held her breath as the group caught up to her hiding place and slowed their pace down. Some of them banged loudly against the doors of the garages whilst others headed off in another direction. They were shouting out her name, screeching at her to come out. Vipers. Oh, this was bad.

Even if she managed to escape and return home, that would be the first place they looked. She needed to go into hiding. Permanently.

The leader strolled around the alley, before pausing momentarily right in front of Zara's view. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously but didn't seem to think to try the box.

"Okay, let's move. Let's move..."

He stormed back off with the others in his gang, but not before throwing a cursory look behind right into Zara's eyes. Odd. Really odd. Why hadn't he tried the box? It was almost as though he could sense her but not see her.

"Who are they?"

"None of your business."

"Charming!"

Zara sighed as she placed a hand to the window, she hadn't thought about the repercussions for Atif but he'd started this. It was all his fault for being so stupid. It wasn't her fault that she couldn't make him see sense.

"You waltz into my home, you tell me to shut up..."

She frowned as the voice seemed to drift away from her deeper and deeper, and she caught onto a slight murmur. A hum that she'd completely ignored whilst her nerves had been on edge. She whirled around as she decided to make her exit clear.

"I'm leavin…"

Gold speckled her vision like dust in her eyes, she could barely make out what anything was and my... wasn't it just... magnificent? Her eyes drifted over metallic stairs and shiny buttons and levers and timers and things she couldn't even name. The space, the vibe... whatever it was, it gave her chills and the lights dimmed as her eyes landed on the stranger before her, hands on hips and with a frown on his face.

"Leave, then!"

Zara shot him a stern look. She didn't wish to be in the company of people who didn't seem to care a bit about her. And this stranger had an angry look. Anger was not beautiful.

She flicked her hair behind her shoulder and walked out into the chill air before spinning back around again. A ripped poster of the latest gig in town stared back at her in amusement.

No. It can't have been a dream, can it?

Her arm stretched out in front of her and sure enough, despite the chill numbing her fingers... there was something there. If she just walked back to where she was...

She blinked twice and clear as day, everything was as it was. Pure gold. Pure magic. What the hell was this, the Wizard of Oz?

"I thought I told you to leave."

Zara closed her gaping mouth consciously before deciding that she needed to put things right. Her head was a cloud of questions and fear and alcohol, and she needed to declutter. She'd never really been one for a time and a place...

"Magic."

"What?"

"You're a magician. This is your magic box."

The man paused by his controls, his hand hovering over a lever. He turned to her looking utterly bewildered. She sympathised, perhaps he couldn't hear her properly. He appeared to be of the more golden age than the average man.

"Like Dynamo. You know, like... an illusionist! 'Cause on the outside..."

"It's smaller..."

"No, it's a police box. But on the inside, it's... a computer room thing..."

"Computer room?!"

Zara smiled and nodded, "It's a good trick. But I think you need to find a way of getting people in here to witness the magic. You need publicity, maybe try... walking on the Thames? But then again, Dynamo already..."

"Computer room?!"

She paused her ramble when she realised that the old man looked highly offended. If his eyes widened anymore, they would almost certainly pop out. ANd he'd die. And she'd be to blame.

Why did everyone always blame her?

"Never... in all my centuries of travelling, have I ever... been so insulted!"

Her lips rounded into an 'oh', the man was trembling... and she couldn't tell if it was out of outrage or an underlying medical condition. She wanted to tell him to sit down.

Make him a cup of tea. But then again, Uncle Walid always hated her cups of tea...

"Are you even listening to me?"

She started out of her daymare as the man gave her a stern look. Or at least tried to, she couldn't help but smile awkwardly... she might've offended the stranger but his expression was that of a stubborn child who'd refused to give up his toys and was now throwing a tantrum.

It was true what they said, some folk aged backwards...

"No, I zoned out. Sorry..."

"Apologise!"

"I just did."

"Not to me! To the TARDIS!"

He motioned around him as Zara soon caught on that he was referring to the room. A TARDIS? Was that posh for computer room?

"Sorry, TARDIS."

"Good. She hates it when people insult her..."

As if on command the room warmed to an bluer glow and Zara couldn't help but be astounded. Technology was definitely advancing faster than she thought, these days. She couldn't even spot the virtual assistant in the room but then again, she could barely identify most of the objects.

A smile tugged on her lips and she found herself feeling somewhat at home. Something which she'd rarely felt in a long time. It was that same craving she'd got, whenever someone gave her a meaningful hug or complimented her talents or so much as shot of look of kindness her way.

That warmth in the pit of her belly seemed to be magnified by the walls of the very room.

And for the first time in a long time, she felt safer than she ever had been.

* * *

He eyed her expressions with a certain curiosity. A child, perhaps a teenager... who looked ragged and horrific in appearance but her eyes held a certain glint which took on the light of the TARDIS.

You'd have thought he knew all the secrets to the universe by now, but there were still some anomalies which he couldn't quite put his finger on. That was the fun.

"The door. You walked through the door."

"That's right."

His eyes glanced back at the monitor, that was very odd indeed. By all accounts, it should've been impossible. Was it a fault in the TARDIS? Either way, he would've been informed.

She was up to something, his beautiful TARDIS always found a way of creating mysteries for him. And he fell for them every time.

"It was locked."

"Clearly, it wasn't..."

"And invisible. You shouldn't be able to see this."

The girl sighed exasperatedly, as though he were a merely a fly swatting around her face. She looked awful but she didn't lack character. How could someone so filthy looking, be so animated?

"Well, I saw the box! I walked into the box! Then I walked out and then..."

Realisation dawned on her as she seemed to catch onto what he was saying. Her mouth opened and she pondered for a moment before deciding to blurt out a reply.

"I take it back. You are better than Dynamo!"

He smacked his hand against his temple, a familiar sense of annoyance and unappreciation returned to him as he was instantly reminded again of Donna. He shook his head quickly, memories were nice but not to dwell on. He'd had his fair share of lows, now wasn't the time.

The girl. He needed to get rid of the girl. But wait... an anomaly.

A girl who saw the TARDIS when no one else did. When it was invisible. When it shouldn't have been seen to the naked eye. An alien? A creature disguised as a human. Had the Slitheen returned?

He needed to keep her talking. Distracted.

"Those friends of yours. The ones who were chasing you. Why were you hiding from them?"

She stumbled up the stairs and sat in the console chair, before launching herself into an explanation. Something about money and cowards and impatience... he didn't pay any attention as he tried to discreetly swipe her with his screwdriver.

"Are you filming me? What is that, you creep?"

The results flashed up as it read _Homo sapien _and the Doctor tutted and shook his head. That ruled out alien then. He couldn't think quietly, he needed an audience.

"You're human. Nothing special... around seventeen years old, a bad sense of fashion and complete disregard for hygiene. You stink of salt and pepper, you don't hold a regard for technology that has taken years to perfect and clearly, you make bad decisions... which is why you've ended up here..."

The girl looked astounded, "Sherlock?"

"My name is the Doctor!"

She did her best to hide the shock on her face, for an old man... he had a good pair of lungs! Zara fiddled with the edge of her jumper nervously, it seemed no matter what she tried, she kept offending the poor man.

"That's nice..." she replied, a short while after. "Is that your magician name?"

* * *

**(A/N): So I've been a fan of the show for a long time and never really had the balls to write anything, because I didn't want to do it an injustice. This was a spur of the moment chapter - I'm not sure of a definitive storyline yet but I hope you enjoy this introduction. It's an idea I've been toying with for a while and any feedback would be much appreciated. **

**Thank you!**


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